Angels Watching Over Me
by jayhogartismyangel
Summary: Clare gets more than she bargained for when writing an article on JT Yorke. JT/Clare friendship, Cake, some Jiberty mentions, etc. Now a five to six shot
1. Chapter 1

**Angels Watching Over Me**

**Summary: When Clare Edwards gets a newspaper assignment to write a story on JT Yorke, three years after his untimely death, she gets so much more than she ever expected.**

**Part One: I'll See You in My Dreams**

Katie Matilin waltzed into the office, her arms full of papers. Clare Edwards sat up straight and looked torwards where she stood, wondering what this week's assignment would be.

"So, I've got some new assignments for all of you." She announced coolly, eyes glancing over everyone in the room. "Shelly, you'll be writing about the upcoming basketball tryouts. Kaylie, your going to be answering all of the Dear Jane letters. Alex, you'll be interviewing Mr. Simpson on being principal of the year and the course of action he takes to keep the school dance in a few months, safe. And...Clare, you'll be writing an article on JT Yorke."

Clare stared at her with a wide, blue gaze. "JT Yorke?" She repeated the name with a stunned expression on her face. "The boy who was murdered at a party, three years ago?"

Katie smiled and took a few steps torwards Clare's desk. She nodded. "I figured it would be an..._interesting _story, considering the anniversary of his death is coming up. You're the perfect writer for the job."

The girl in question chewed on her bottom lip as Katie turned away. She really had no idea as to how she was going to write this article.

After school, Clare, Jake, Adam, Eli, and Fiona all met up at The Dot for a quick dinner. It was a weird group, but ever since the shooting at the end of the last school year, they'd all grown rather close.

"So, Clare, Jake mentioned that you have to write a new article for the shool paper." Fiona commented, eating a fry delicately.

Clare gave a weary smile and nodded. "Katie wants me to do a story on JT Yorke."

Jake's eyebrows rose in confusion as he wondered why the name sounded so familiar.

"He's the one that they have the memorial of, at Degrassi, isn't he?" Adam asked curiously.

Clare nodded. "Yeah, I read a little bit about the death online, during lunch. It's so horrible what happened to him. I mean, from what Darcy told me, JT was a really nice, sweet, funny guy. I think that's why I am going to focus on his life. His story intrigues me. I'm just hoping that I do him justice."

"You're an amazing writer Clare. Of course you can do it justice." Jake said, kissing the top of his girlfriend's curly head, and hugging her to his side.

She blushed at his words and his attention. "I sure hope you're right." She murmured softly.

Later that night, Clare was leaning up against her headboard, dressed in her pink flannel pajamas with her laptop resting on her lap. She'd been on it most of the night, trying to dig up some information on JT. She hadn't found much, other than more information about his death, articles about the play he and someone named Liberty Van-Zant had put on and clips from his children's show, PJ JT. She'd watched the clips online and she completely got why people had liked him so much. But it _still _wasn't enough to go on.

With a sigh of frustration, she gently shoved her laptop away from her and fell back amongst her pillows. She had no idea how she was going to get the story done by the deadline that Katie had given her. She still had worries that she wouldn't do this innocent boy justice.

Closing her eyes, in thought, she fell asleep from pure exhaustion.

She awoke sometime later by a noise.

"JT Yorke was..." A playful voice reasd off of a notebook. "Well, surely you can do better than that. Charming, witty, hilarious. I think that those words fit me pretty well." The voice let out a laugh.

Clare's eyes popped open and she looked torwards the end of her bed where a figure, dressed in a pair of jeans and a white shirt sat. She let out an ear splitting scream and fell out of her bed, scrambling up against the wall. Her blue eyes were alarmed as she stared at the figure.

The person grew concerned and took a few step torwards her, stopping infront of her.

"Who are you?" She questioned, breathlessly.

He gave her a boyish smile and ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair. "I'd have thought that it would've been obvious." He said, his eyes trailing over to where her laptop sat on her nightstand.

Clare followed his gaze in shock as she looked back at him. Her gaze trailed over his all too familiar face and she swallowed hard. "You're JT Yorke." She whispered disbelievingly.

**To be continued: Next Part: Clare and JT talk, Clare and Jake go to talk to JT's old friends. **

**A/N: In this story, Cake have a secret relationship. Their friends know that their dating, but their parents don't and are still planning out their marriage.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Angels Watching Over Me**

**Part Two**

Clare swallowed hard as JT's fingers curled around her wrist. It felt like butterfly wings. So faint and light but with enough power behind it to help her up. The two teenagers took a seat on the bed, leaning up against the headboard. "S-so um...h-how is this happening?" She asked, stuttering slightly. Her hands were shaking and her palms were sweaty. She felt so nervous. This wasn't something that she'd expected to happen. Never in a million years did she expect this. JT Yorke was sitting on her bed, looking exactly as he did the night that he died. His hair was as messy as she'd seen in those pictures, his face was still as boyish as ever. The only thing really different about him was the fact that he seemed to have luminousent glow.

JT smiled at her. "Well, all I know is that I ended up here. It's never happened before so the man upstairs must really think that you need me. You're actually the only person who has ever been able to see me. I've visited my ex-girlfriend and my friends, but they don't ever realise that I'm there." The smile wilted off of his thin lips when he said this. He looked pained.

Clare watched him sadly. She couldn't imagine what it was like, dying so young. Watching all the people that you love grow up and live and go on with their lives, without you. "I'm sorry." She murmured softly, lowering her head and staring down at her legs.

"It's not your fault. And besides, Heaven's not so bad. You can totally play pratical jokes on people down here, on Earth. No one ever knows who did it." He told her carefully, laughing deeply as he recalled a joke he'd played on a bully who'd been shoving some little niner kid into his locker. The poor bully had been scared for _weeks_ afterword, thinking that he had a ghost after him. "Anyway, why are you writing about little old me?" He gave her a boyish grin as he awaited her answer.

She blinked and smiled at him shyly. "Um...I'm on my school newspaper. I have been for over year. My editor asked me to write an article about you, since it's so close to-you know. I've been trying to find out as much as I can about you, but other than clips from your show and articles about-" She cut herself off quickly, not wanting to say the words.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You can say the word, you know. I know that I'm dead."

"It's kinda awkward with you sitting right here beside of me. You look so real." Clare commented slowly.

"Well, I am real. I'm just not human anymore. I'm not alive." JT said. "Your being part of the school newspaper reminds me of my ex-girlfriend. Her name was Liberty. That's how I died, by the way. It was her birthday party and I had suggested that one of our mutual friends-Manny Santos host this party for her. Liberty and I started talking then, and she told me that she still loved me. I didn't say it back. I told her that we couldn't be together anymore because I was with Mia. My best friend, Toby convinced me to find Liberty and tell her that I still loved her. I was stabbed before I could find her. She found me."

Clare didn't even think as she leaned in and through her arms tightly around the boy beside her, comfortingly. She felt tears spilling down her cheeks. She knew that it would be a hard story to do. After all, this boy died before he could really do anything. He hadn't even got to live his life.

"So, I guess I should tell you some things about me. My mom abandoned me when I was in about the eighth grade. I was raised by my grandmother from that moment, until the night that I died. I grew up with Emma Nelson and Manny Santos and they were my best friends. Toby came later in my life and he was another one of my friends. I was the class clown. I never really took things seriously. Not until I was older. I finally began to date Liberty the year that Rick Murray had died by his own gun. We got together while writing a play. I got to see her fiery side, then. Something I hadn't noticed before. After we'd been dating awhile, she found out that she was pregnant with our son. God, I wanted to raise him with her. To give him a family. Something I never really had since my dad abandoned me. It took alot of money and we couldn't afford an apartment. I ended up stealing Oxycodone from my job to sale down at the Ravine. I lost Liberty because of it. I almost lost my best friend. I ended up overdosing and scaring the crap out of Liberty. She decided that it would be best for the baby to give him up for adoption. I just want him to know that I care about him and that I love him."

**Next part: Clare and Jake go see JT's old friends, Clare meets Liberty and goes on a desperate search for Jiberty's son.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Angel Watching Over Me**

**A/N: This chapter has Clare/JT bonding. And Clare, Jake, and JT(who nobody but Clare can see) going to visit JT's friends. Oh, and a long time ago, I read that Jiberty's baby's adopted parents, named him Fester. Well, not in this fic. Jiberty's child isn't going to be named after someone from the Addams Family(even if I love the show/movies). His name is Ryan.**

**Part Three**

Jake raised an eyebrow and stared at Clare. "You want me to drive you, _where?"_ He spit out, sounding beyond shocked.

"I already told you." She stated, impatiently. "I want to go and see JT's old friends. It will be good for my story."

Her boyfriend swallowed hard, staring down at his plate of pancakes. "Clare..." He trailed off, warningly.

"_What?" _Clare asked, voice breaking as she gazed at him.

"This isn't healthy for you. I get that you want to do this JT guy justice, but I hate seeing you so upset. And don't you think it will be a little hard on his friends? They probably don't want to be reminded of this." Jake replied.

"Doesn't JT's story deserve to be told?" She countered, crossing her arms under her chest.

He didn't answer, just stared down at the floor.

"I want people to know what happened to him. I want them to know what type of person, that he is. I can't do that, if I don't talk to his friends. Nothing online has anything really informative, about him. Please Jake. Please?" Clare pleaded, giving him a pout, eyes shining with tears.

"Okay." Jake agreed. "Go up and get ready. We can leave in a half hour."

She squealed and jumped up from her seat, hugging Jake tightly. "Thank you." She murmured, cupping his face in her hands, and pressing her lips to his. She turned on her heel and hurried up the stairs, to her room.

"So, that Jake guy is your boyfriend?" JT asked, smiling goofily at her, from his spot on her bed. "And your parents don't know?" He laughed a bit, brown eyes sparkling.

She flushed, moving over to him and punching his shoulder, gently. "_Shut up."_ She whined. Then she turned serious, sitting beside of him. "I got him to agree to take me, to see your friends."

He gave her a grateful smile. "I know. I heard you two, down there." He told Clare, carefully.

"I've gotta get ready, because we're leaving in a half-hour." Clare stated, staring at him.

JT stared at her blankly, feeling slightly amused as she glared at him impatiently. "Well, go ahead. I'm not stopping you." He answered playfully, falling back to lie on the bed, resting his hands on his stomach. He grinned impishly as he stared up at the ceiling.

She rolled her eyes and glared at him pointedly. "Could you please leave, just for fifteen minutes?"

"Whatever you want, Lois Lane." He replied playfully, standing up and getting ready to disappear. "But just know, I can make it so I can't be seen." He smirked at her annoyed look, as he disappeared. He knew full well that she knew that he wouldn't do that. He just liked to tease her. He was still a class clown, after all.

Clare hurried out of her house and to Jake's truck. She stopped short when she saw JT already standing there, leaning up against it.

"What are you staring at, Clare?" Jake questioned, voice filled with confusion as he walked out of the house, staring down at her.

She shook her head and gave a nervous grin. "Um...no reason." She told him, swallowing hard. She couldn't help but wonder, how exactly she was supposed to act normal with JT there.

They climbed into the car and Jake immediatly reached to turn the radio on. "So, who are we supposed to visit first?" He questioned, turning his head just slightly, when they'd stopped infront of a red light.

Clare shrugged. "I was thinking maybe Emma Nelson-well, Emma Mason. I know that she apparently has an apartment, about two and a half hours, away."

Her boyfriend raised an eyebrow. "And who's she?"

"She was one of JT's childhood best friends. It was her childhood home, that he died at." Clare said sadly, turning to gaze out the window.

"That's horrible." Jake muttered under his breath.

She nodded sadly. "I can't imagine how it was for them. To have to see him like that. I mean, I don't want to bring up old wounds, but this is important to me. I want to do JT justice. Maybe people can learn something from him."

"What are you hoping that people will learn?" He inquired.

Clare turned back to look at Jake, feeling JT appear in the seat, beside of her. "To learn that rivalries aren't worth it." Her voice broke as she spoke. "JT died, because of a rivalry between Lakehurst and Degrassi. The rivalry still continued, afterwards. There are more important things than that. People need to know what they stand to lose."

JT stared at her from his spot. If one person could learn from his mistakes, he'd be grateful. He'd died for no reason. The love of his life, his grandmother, and his best friends all had to lose him in some horrible way. He'd never grow or watch his child grow up, or get married. He wouldn't be the man that Liberty married. He was stuck, watching it all happen. It was hell. No one should have to go through that. Maybe with Clare getting his story out there, they wouldn't have to.

"Is this where Emma's apartment is?" Jake inquired.

Clare nodded. "She and her husband, Spinner apparently moved here, after they got married a couple of years ago."

Jake's brows furrowed. "Didn't you say that Spinner dated Darcy?"

"Yeah." She answered. "But they haven't been together, for years. She was with Peter Stone, before she went to Kenya. You've met him, remember? He works at The Dot. He became the manager, after Spinner left. We should go and talk to her, before I lose my nerve."

Emma laughed, throwing her long blonde hair, over a tanned shoulder. Her and Spinner's friends, Manny and Jay were visiting. Manny had just finished a movie, and was staying here, for a few days. They, along with Toby, and Liberty were planning on travelling back to their hometown, for the anniversary of JT's death. They were going to all reconnect and celebrate his life. It was something that they'd done for years, now. Just then, a soft knock sounded on the apartment door, and Emma stood up to answer it. Perhaps it was the takeout that they'd ordered. She stopped short after opening the door, staring at the petite teenage girl, with curly, light brown hair and blue eyes, standing there with a tall, plaid-clad guy. "Um...can I hope you?" She inquired, narrowing her eyes at them.

"I'm Clare Edwards. This is my boyfriend, Jake. May I please come in? I need to talk to you about something, really important." The teenage girl inquired, shuffling nervously, in the doorway.

"_Baby Edwards?"_ Spinner said, sounding shocked, stepping up to stand beside his wife. "What's wrong? Did something happen to Darcy?" He knew that he sounded panicked, but he couldn't help it. Darcy was a good friend of his. Why else would Clare be here, if not for Darcy?"

Clare's blue eyes widened and shook her head wildly. "NO! No. My sister is fine! I'm sorry. Darcy's happy, in Kenya. I should've been more specific. I'm here about JT Yorke." Her attention turned to Emma, taking in the sad look that came onto her face.

"Why do you want to talk about him?" She asked, sounding a little bit angry.

"If you'd let us come in, I'll explain." The younger girl answered, staring up at Emma.

Emma stared at her for a few moments, before stepping aside. She couldn't help but wonder what this girl had to say. She seemed pretty intent on talking about JT.

**To be continued...**


End file.
